Calling all brides, bride-hopefuls, and bridal vendors!  What are YOU doing Sunday, September 26, 2010!!?!?!?  If your answer is “sitting on the couch,” then your answer is wrong!  If your answer is “Attending the Franklin Bridal Ball”, then your answer is CORRECT!!!!

The Franklin Bridal Ball is Williamson County’s most elite upscale bridal event. Not only is it a chance to meet the area’s finest wedding professionals face-to-face and find those that share your vision for your perfect wedding day but it’s also an opportunity to try samples, win prizes and receive budget saving discounts!

Stop by the Main Event Productions booth and allow us the honor of meeting you and introducing you to our award-winning, memorable, excellence-driven service!  You will not be sorry you did!

We are also giving away tickets to attend the ball, so email us at dawn@thebakeshoppe.com or call us at 615-321-2394 to take advantage of this free gift!

Franklin Bridal Ball

Sunday, September 26, 2010, 12 pm – 4 pm
Franklin Marriott Cool Springs
700 Cool Springs Blvd.
Franklin, TN 37067

It is that time of year again!  No, not Thanksgiving or Christmas just yet!  It’s actually voting time!

The Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville, is an annual reader’s choice poll, in which you write in your favorites from categories such as Food & Drink, Arts & Entertainment, Media, Home, Shopping, Kids and more.  The voting layout is simple and you don’t have to sign up for anything in order for your vote to count!  You can even vote multiple times (once a day).

So, here’s what Main Event Productions is asking of our friends!   Show your love for The Bake Shoppe for best Local Cake Baker, A Catered Affair for Best Cater and Best Chef, and any other category that you see fitting!  Help us be seen in the scene!

If you have yet to experience our remarkable service, please call Kellie at 615-321-2394 or email cater@acateredaffair.net

I think that if Kellie Bryson, creator and owner of Main Event Productions, could have Willy Wonka’s Chocolate river flowing through her office, she would in a heartbeat! Then again, who wouldn’t?!?!

When Kellie answered the question of the best thing she ever ate, her initial response was “CHOCOLATE!  CHOCOLATE!  CHOCOLATE!”  Obviously, chocolate comes in many forms and fashions.  With that being said, here’s Kellie’s top 3 Bake Shoppe’s Chocolate Delights:

1.  Chocolate Kahlua Fudge Cake drizzled in chocolate ganache-  This cake flavor was actually served at her wedding for the groom’s cake!

2.  Chocolate Panna Cotta-  This serves as a healthier version of chocolate pudding and mousse because it is made with milk and not cream.  Though light and silky, it is rich enough to seem sinful!

3.  Tiramisu- Epitome of perfection when this airy sponge cake meets a coffee-Marsala mixture and layered with Mascarpone and chocolate for the sweetest finish!

Though Kellie Bryson is a fine chocolate extraordinaire, there are some things that can’t replace good ole’, store bought, tollhouse chocolate chip cookies and Oreos!

Main Event Productions and The Bake Shoppe are redefining the meaning of “Birthday Cakes!”  Though there is a pleasant simplicity about a standard birthday sheet cake, we are coming into contact with more and more customers who are thinking  birthday cakes out of the box! Every pun intended!  3D cakes are the way to go!  Check out a few pictures from our latest sweet 16 Birthday cake!

Behind every beautiful cake is a beautiful cake decorator!  Main Event Productions and The Bake Shoppe would like to introduce to you Shelly Barger Santana, cake decorator extraordinaire! Here’s only a small glimpse of some of her marvelous work!

You can’t help but adore Shelly!  If her dazzling eyes don’t captivate you, then her sweet spirit, striking smile, and spectacular cake decorating skills will astonish you!  Shelly started decorating cakes at the precious ago of 14 and it has been a part of her life ever since!  Here’s just a few facts about Shelly:

• First Wedding cake: tired, white buttercream with purple roses at the edges
• Most challenging cake: 3D standing golf bag cake
• Favorite cake flavor: The Bake Shoppe’s legendary Kahlua Chocolate..yummmmmmmmmm!
• Favorite kind of music to have in the background while decorating: romantic music!  Sending out those good thoughts and vibes to the lovely couples getting married!
• Inspiration: architecture, nature, colors, etc.
• Other hobbies: art, hiking, show coordinator for a networking artist organization called Untitled Nashville

There is no doubt that The Bake Shoppe has hit the jackpot of all jackpots with Shelly on the team.  She is a priceless asset and we’re so thankful to be working beside her!

If you’re not from the south you may be wondering what is up with the extra cake accompanying the bridal cake!  The groom’s cake made it’s theatrical appearance in Steel Magnolias in 1989, but that was not the first groom’s cake!

The history of the groom’s cake is difficult to trace.  Here are a few legends:

• some believe it was served by the groom to the bridesmaids
• others say a bride wanted a chocolate cake for her wedding without forgoing the white color scheme.
• some believe it was to be served by the groom, with a glass of wine, to the bridesmaids
• some believe it was to be saved and subsequently shared with friends after the honeymoon
• in ancient times, it was believed that if a single woman put a piece of the groom’s cake under her pillow, she would dream that night of the man she would marry.

Regardless of it’s origins,  it’s a long southern tradition with unlimited potential to reflect the groom’s interests, flavors, and themes!

Here at The Bake Shoppe our Nashville Bride and Grooms come up with some of the most creative and out of this world designs for their Groom’s cake.  Here’s just a glimpse of such cakes….

Baseball Glove Cake

Sci-fi Inspired Cake

Sports Inspired Shoebox

Golf Inspired Chocolate Cake

Cigar Box

TN Football Helmet Cake

Football Stadium Cake

Dartboard Cake

Motorcycle Themed Cake

TN Football Field Cake

Baseball Hat Cake

Drum Cake

The Bake Shoppe participated in a wonderful fundraiser, Glitz and Glam.  This fundraiser benefits AGAPE Animal Rescue – this program saves thousands of dogs from euthanasia each year – by creating foster care for those dogs.

We had fun with the theme and created this huge dog house – complete with “bling” on the fire hydrant and sugar roof shingles!

Dog house for AGAPE Glitz and Glam

Sugar dog with Bling Collar

Dog house and all decorations are entirely edible

What an honor!  The Bake Shoppe took part in Vanderbilt University’s first CupCake Challenge and we WON!  We are thrilled!  We are proud.

The competition was very tough – there were 8 companies vying for the coveted honor – wonderful companies from each area of Nashville – The CupCake Collection, Gigi’s Cupcakes, Whole Foods, Bread and Company, Sweet and Sassy, Provence Bakery and FiddleCakes.  We were excited to part of such a great field of bakeries.

Just a reminder of some other mini dessert ideas that you can have for your special event – Mini Collection is a short video of desserts

We received notification that we were 1 of 3 companies across the globe nominated for  Best Celebration Cake CATIE Award — (Catered Arts Through Innovative Excellence) by the International Caterers Association.  We are THRILLED!

Judging is currently taking place — Can you imagine the excitement we feel!  The Final award presentation will take place in Las Vegas in March — stay tuned.  The competition is tough — but our entry is AWESOME  ( yes, I am a tiny bit biased).

here is a look at the cake!—

We call it the Patchwork of Life cake — more on the name later.

What sort of prize should I give my team if we win?  make your comments — they will deserve something special if it goes all the way to #1.

As i think about it — they should get something just for getting NOMINATED FOR BEST CAKE!.   Yes I am super proud of my whole team — but the cake team gets super KUDOS for this one:)  Love ya, ladies!

Brides today choose many different types of wedding desserts — not just wedding cake.

Piping hot donuts, banana pudding shots, cookies and milk are just a few items that we have served recently in lieu of wedding or grooms cake.

See the Mini Dessert Video for other ideas.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Beans

Of course CUPCAKES are still very fashionable:)